the Shell and the Beast
by forevernever030
Summary: What happened when Johanna was chosen for 71st hunger games? Is it true that she was acting weak? And who was she crushing on? Can it be someon we all know? Read and find out how the games changed Johanna Mason from District 7. The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

District 7 is... ok, I guess. I mean, compared to District 12, it would be like, what, heaven with angels blowing some stupid trumpets. My life isn't too bad either. I got a caring and loving mom, a dad who spends almost every seconds in his life working, and an older brother who appears to be the most annoying person in the world. They always care about me and love me more than themselves. But every year, there is a certain occasion that makes me want to die. And that certain occasion is called the Huger Games _._

The Hunger Games are like big survival games that are broadcasted nationwide. Twenty four tributes and only one victor. And today, my friend, is the Reaping day.

I'm getting ready for the huge gathering, picking my clothes. I decide on a simple purple dress that reaches just above my knees. Fidgeting with the dress, I look in the mirror. To be honest, I actually look pretty good. Not pretty or beautiful... but striking. Not that I would get to be excused from being chosen just because I am looking good.

Okay, put yourself together, Johanna. You won't get picked. Only one piece of paper in thousands of others. But the terrifying fact is that someone _will_ get picked.

"you ready, Johanna?" My brother, Jace asks.

"Yup."

"Oh, come on. That possibly can't be fear I see in your eyes, right?"

"Shut up," I reply simply, because I am not in the mood for fight with Jace right now.

"Just relax, okay?" Jace says, chuckling.

"I'm more relaxed than you are right now."

"We'll have to see about that. Come on, let's go. We don't want peacekeepers kicking our ass, do we?"

When we gather ourselves in the City Hall, I have to be seperated from Jace. Whatever. It's not like it's my first time. They extract our blood and let me go inside. It's very crowded and not being able to see the stage well is making me more nervous.

Trey Dencher, the guy who would be announcing the _honorable_ tributes is straightening his extravagant suit, preparing for the Reaping. He has this wierd tri-color hair(fiery red, dark green, and gold with sprinkles all over) with matching suit(do I have to explain the suit? I don't think so.) He is a very lazy guy, never doing so much speech unlike Effie Trinket from District 12, so yeah, we don't suffer too much at the Reaping.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen. I believe that it's finally time to..." *sigh* "Announce the tributes.. Okay. Ladies first, of course."

He picks any scrap paper on the top layer. Like I said, he doesn't like too mich suspense. He opens up the piece of paper, his two pair of green eyes scanning the name.

"The female tribute of the 71st Hunger Games is Johanna Mason. Come up, Johanna."

What? No. There must be another Johanna Mason. I mean, there's only one name of mine. But then again, most of the people in District 7 has only one name. This is too fast. I need a pause button in my life so I can think about this for a few minutes. Or more like years would be nice.

I feel a drop of cold sweat rolling down my forehead underneath my bangs just when Trey says my name again.

"Johanna Mason? What are you waiting for? Chop chop. We gotta announce the male tribute too, you know."

People starts scattering away, clearing my way toward the stage. Traitors. Though I know I would have to go anyways, I suddenly feel mad at him.

"There she is. Hurry up."

I can see my brother's face from distant. He's biting his lips, but he nods toward the stage. Nodding back, I make my way toward the stage. Slowly. Yes, very slowly. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. Shaking off the feeling that I'm gonna fall down, I concentrate on walking.

A tribute. For the Hunger Games. Meaning I'll be the first one to die. Scratch that. Probably not the first, because I'll chicken out and run away from the Cornucopia as fast as I can.

I climb on stage, feeling everyone's gaze gathering on me.

"Well, finally. Okay, anything to say?"

Instead of answering, I swallow really hard.

"I'll take that as a no," Trey says, looking bored. Yeah, bored. While I'm about to die in days.

"Time for our male tribute. And that lucky guy would be... Lucas Parker!"

Then the crowd reveal a guy with black jet hair and piercing blue eyes. He does look mascular, but he probably wouldn't stand a chance against the career pack. The career pack. Oh god. The fear is ming my head spin again.

Lucas looks surprised, but I can't detect any fear in his eyes. So he's either a really good actor, or just a stupid guy. He makes his way toward me and Trey with long, confident strides, keeping his face straight.

"Hello, Lucas. Anything to say?"

"Nope."

"Okay. Then happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor. Yeah, you can follow thr peacekeepers. Good luck."

Yeah, luck wouldn't help me much right now. Frankly, nothing can.


	2. Making Friends

**Chapter 2**

The ride to the capitol is boring. But still, I don't want it to end. Spending forever in a luxurious train sounds sweet to me right now even though it means I am stuck with Trey and Marcie.

Marcie is my so-called mentor. She's the victor of the 69th Hunger Games, and only 17 right now. She's not really strong or good at using weapons. (Yeah, I know, I know. Like me, I guess...) But she is absolutely cunning. Using her charm, she became a back-stabbing ally with careers, and.. Yeah, she did some tricks.

To be honest, I absolutely hate her. Green eyes, short blond hair, and lots of make up. She's like the worst person I've ever met. She flirts with every single guys she sees(it seems like the age doesn't really matter to her) and thinks that the world revolves around her. So I don't really count her as my friend or my mentor. I mean, she never talks to me or gives me advices. Thankfully, I have another mentor who is so much better than her.

Linden is 28 years old. He won the Hunger Games when he was 18. He's talented at archery and swimming. He helps me a lot so I can actually not have an embarassing death like tripping and hitting my head or getting food stuck in my windpipe. Really, unstable feet and edible food... The most dangerous hazard in the arena, huh? Okay, maybe I'm kinda exaggerating, but I still don't stand a chance in the arena. Heck, who knows if I cut myself accidentally and bleed to death during the training session?

We are now sitting in a round table, discussing about the games.

"So Johanna and Lucas, do you want to be trained separately or together?" Linden asks us.

"I don't care," Lucas answers coolly. That's what I don't like about him. He's always so calm about everything while I'm panicking to death. I envy him so much.

"What do you think, Johanna?" Linden asks, facing me.

"I would like to train together," I reply, trying to sound as calm as Lucas, but it doesn't work really well. "I don't have any special skills, so I really don't mind." Also, I can just figure out his skills and weaknesses. But I decide against saying the last sentance out loud.

"Okay, then. But let's not worry about training right now. Just relax and enjoy the ride. We are almost there." Yeah, that easy, huh?

The door behind me slides open, revealing Marcie behind it. She walks toward us smiling, trying her best to show us all of her white shiny teeth.

"Hi, Linden and Lucas. Having a great day?" Oh great, so now she's ignoring me. Actually, let her be that way. I don't want to talk to her anyway.

"Yeah, thanks. I was actually just coming up with strategies with Lucas _and Johanna_ ," Linden emphasize my name.

And the blonde starts babbling with her sickly sweet voice.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there. I personally think people should look more... Noticeable, should I say? I mean, you're not hurt or something like that, right?" Okay, why don't you just shut up already, hmm? Oh right, you're Marcie.

"Of course not," I grumble, trying my best to fake a smile.

"So Jake, what's your specialty?" She suddenly asks.

At first, I think she got confused with Lucas's name.

"Um, it's Lucas?" I speak up for him.

"Oh! I was actually talking to you. Or did I say your name wrong?"

What? What's wrong with this girl? What did I ever do to her to earn this kind of response?

"My. Name. Is. Johanna," I respond, not bothering to hide the anger in my voice.

"I am so sorry! I know that Jake is a guy's name, but it just somehow seemed to fit you. Oops! I hope that didn't sound like an insult."

I breathe deeply, not wanting to cause a friction(or even murder considering my emotions right now.).

"Okay, Marcie. I believe we have a few things to do together right now. You know, just you and me," Linden quickly interrupts, trying to prevent any fight.

"We do?" She asks, batting her eyelashes wildly and touching Linden's biceps.

Oh my god. This is too much for me right now. I still haven't accepted the fact that I'm going to fight to death, and here she is right now, this Marcie girl flirting with a guy who is eleven years older than her right in front of my eyes that are about to retire forever.

"Yes. Very important stuff."

As soon as Linden says this, Marcie squeals in delight and excitement. Oh come on. She's not taking Linden's words in... That kind of way, right? Really, they're talking about the games, not beds!

Anyway, they head outside of the room, leaving Lucas and me, sitting awkwardly facing each other. We try our best not to meet each other's eyes, but I keep stealing glances at him just out of curiosity.

His eyes are focused on his coffee mug, seeming to be deep in thoughts.

Not wanting to bother him, I stand up to get out of the room, but Lucas's eyes moving upward and staring into my eyes for the first time.

"Where are you going?" He asks me in deep voice.

"I... Didn't want to bother you, and..."

"Don't worry about me. Hey, do you just want to get to know each other? I mean, I am very curious about you."

"Um... I don't know if that's a good idea." I don't want to kill a person I befriended.

"Don't... Don't think about the game. You and me, we will be the last person to befriend each other before," he swollows before continuing. "Before we die. Don't let the games get to you, Johanna. Don't let it ruin the last bit of your life. We deserve to be happy, so show them how we are still laughing and talking and not being affected by the games. Pretend that the games don't exist."

So we start talking.

"Did you work a lot at home, Johanna?" Lucas asks.

"Well, yeah... Kind of. You know, we live far away from the lake, and our house doesn't get supplied with water, so yeah. I used to walk to the lake and get water often. My brother and I take turns."

"How far away is the lake?"

"About 6 miles?"

"Whoa. Aren't the water buckets heavy?"

"They are. But there's no choice. I got used to it, so it's nothing."

"Oh, wow. I bet you're really strong."

I just shrug, I've never thought about that before. Could I be strong?

"What about you? What did you do at home?"

"Trees."

"Oh," of course. Our main production is lumber.

"I can teach you how to use an axe, if you want."

"That would be nice. Thanks."

We talk more about our home and ourselves for hours. I've never talked to anyone for that long. It's actually very pleasant to talk to him. And for a second, I think I forgot about the games like he told me to.

 **Okay, so that's chapter 2. As you might have noticed, I used some fictional character's names and appearances from other books,(Shadow falls, shadowhunters, the chemical garden trilogy, and more will be used.) but their personalities won't be the same so don't get confused!**


	3. I'm a Freaking Tree

**Chapter 3**

"We're here! We're here! Everybody get off the train!" Trey is yelling at us impatiently.

So we're finally at the famous Capitol. I can see beautiful buildings and sculptures. Lucas and I just stare at the amazing amount of crowd, yelling and screaming our names. Trying to get sponsors, we start waving at them, and the people's scream becomes louder. I try to smile, even though these people would be watching and cheering as we _kill_ people.

"Come on guys. I'll lead you to the tribute center," Trey says, making his way through the crowd.

The tribute center is... Fabulous.

When we get to our room on the seventh floor, Linden suggests that we watch the Reaping.

The half Asian girl from 4 looks most threatening. Her features, confidence, etc. Not that others look less intimidating.

"The girl from 4. Watch out for her. Heard she's a strong swimmer. Also good with knives and spears. Did I mention she's really fast?" Linden explains as I study her carefully.

"How do you know so much about her?" Lucas asks.

"Della?" Guess that's her name. "She's the adopted daughter of the mayor. Pretty famous."

Another attention grabbing tribute is the girl from 10. Her name is Renesmee Cullen, and is only 12. Five years younger than me... I can't imagine being in her situation. Her fiery red hair reminds me of Simba from an old movie called Lion King.

"So Johanna and Lucas, your stylists would prepare you for the parade. I think you should be heading to their room," Linden suggests.

Okay, now I'm really worried. Tributes from District 7 have always worn stupid tree costumes.

Shaking off my fear, I head to my prep team's room.

They explain something about ripping off my skin to me. Uh oh. But I lie down anyway. How much can it hurt?

...

The sensation is awful. I clutch the edge of the bed as the three girls rip off my skin. And when I say that, I mean like, literally.

"Ow! Watch it!" I hiss through my teeth as one of them peels off another layer of my precious skin.

She apologizes quietly just when my stylist comes in. He has dark hair and charcoal black eyes.

"Hello, Johanna. My name's Jev, but you can just call me Patch. That's what everyone calls me anyway."

"Hi Patch."

"Why don't you follow me to the fitting room?"

As we walk into the tiny room, my nightmare comes true. There is a small brown garment placed neatly in front of me.

"Why don't you try it on?" Patch asks me.

So I step into he tight dress and look in the mirror. Just after registering the creature standing in fron of me, my jaw drops to the ground. I am a freaking tree.

"So? What do you think?" Patch asks me expectantly.

"It's... It's awesome. It fits me nicely."

"Oh! I am glad you like it. Come on. Let's give you some make up for the parade."

And they do. A ridiculous one. They paint my whole face in brown, I repeat, brown. My suddenly long eyelashes are now dyed in green, and so are my eyelids.

When I get out of the room, I see Lucas. Or should I say the new Lucas? He looks absolutely ridiculous, so I can't help the laughter coming out of my mouth. He's only wearing shorts made of... Bamboo sticks.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me. You don't look too good yourself either," he says, faking a scowl.

"I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at your costume. Or can I even call it a costume?" This time, he laughs with me.

"You two, stop fooling around. We need to talk," a certain blonde interrupts.

"You, Johanna. No one will cheer for a shy timid girl. You need a new angle."

"Leave her alone, Marcie. Who knows how this whole thing would change her? Just be yourself, Johanna, and everyone will like you," Linden defends me. "Come on. Go stand by your chariot."

Quietly making a mental note to thank Linden later, I do as he says.

My horses and chariot are all white. I'm waiting for a further instruction when someone taps on my shoulder.

"Hi. I believe you are... Johanna Mason? From seven, right?" The speaker's deep voice makes me turn around.

Bronze hair.

Sea green eyes.

Tanned skin.

I register all of his features. Is he one of the tributes?

"I'm Finnick."

"Finnick Odair."

I remember him. He's the victor of 65th Hunger Games.

"Yeah. Every girls seem to know my name, though I only remember pretty ones' name. Don't you agree, _Johanna_?" Finally realizing what he's trying to say, I blush furiously.

"I should be going. Good luck with the parade thing. I hope you can still see through your long eyelashes."

With that, he walks away toward his tributes.

It feels like... He was hinting me to do something.

Trying to soothe my fluttering heart down to its place again, I head into a restroom. And I do something that I didn't plan to do.

I wash my face.

 **So that was chapter 3. Johanna will be slowly turning into the badass Johanna we all know. Oh, and I apologize to all the Della(from shadow falls) and Patch(from hush hush) lovers(which includes me!) for making them look kinda stupid or mean**.


	4. the Parade

**Chapter 4**

When I go back to my chariot, I see Lucas waiting for me beside it. I wave at him, and his jaw-which is still unfortunately brown unlike mine-plummets to the ground as soon as he sees my face. I smirk back, walking toward him.

"My, my, Johanna. What happened to your pretty makeup?"

"They ran away from my face."

"Why do I think I know why?" He says smirking, so I give him a playful smack on his arm.

"Ow! OW! That actually hurts."

Low chuckle boomed from behind me.

"Careful. You don't want to get injured before the games," Linden says, "Come on, it's time to get on the chariot."

The anthem begins about thirty seconds after we get on the chariot. It soon follows the District 6's.

I expected it of course, but I'm kind of disappointed when everyone's screaming Della's name only. I can hear some people yelling my name, but they are soon smothered by others.

Who cares. I don't need any sponsors.

Then, I meet someone's eyes I wasn't expecting.

Sea green eyes.

He winks at me, and it feels like my heart is doing its job too fast. Oh come on, I'm not actually fan-girling over him, right? Right? Blushing, I try to look away, but his new movement catches my eyes. He brushes his hand over his perfectly tanned arm. I tilt my head, but he just smirks and looks away. Is there something on my arms? I examine them carefully, but all I find is four inches leather bracelets with long sticks that were meant to be branches protruding out from them-trust me, they look hilarious-that cover most of my forearms.

Then I slowly understand what Finnick was trying to tell me. Take them off. Without thinking, I slowly undo my bracelets with trembling fingers and throw them toward the crowd which starts going wild. Smiling, I take off the pins which were placing my hair strands in wierd position, and throw them on the ground, leaving my hair dangling to my shoulder.

Now, the crowd is screaming my name, not Della's.

So I take off my ridiculous high heels and throw them to the ground after my pins. Then my brown jacket sails toward the crowd, eliciting the crowd to move toward it.

"What are you doing? Stripping naked in front of the whole country?" Lucas asks sternly, but I can see a bit of amusement hiding in his eyes.

"Oh come on. Just like you said before, can't we just have fun?"

Then, he seems to be lost in thought. So I make a mistake and let my guard down. As soon as I do that, Lucas grabs my waist and hoists me on the front of the chariot. I squeal in surprise, but I somehow manage to gain my balance on he edge with the help of Lucas's hands.

I don't know what I'm doing right now, but I don't care. I'm just trying to feel this moment. What my stupid stylist would be thinking right now. How people are falling in love with me. Della staring at me. Oops, did I say stare? Scratch that, she's glaring at me, and if looks can kill, I'm gonna die ten times. But I still don't care.

Our chariot finally comes to stop, and I jump down to my place beside Lucas again.

President Snow starts talking. Games that, tributes this. Blah blah blah.

As he talks, something goes wild in my heart. A strong emotion flicker through my body. I recognize it as anger. And like that, I make up my mind. I'm not going to be the shy and timid Johanna anymore. I'm going to be the rebellious and strong Johanna. I actually already proved that by taking pieces of my costumes off. But that was just the start. I'll make them pay for this. I swear I will.

I sneer involuntarily at the thought, and I think Snow actually looks kind of afraid for a second. He should be. Because I'm not the same Johanna anymore.

...

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Linden yells as soon as we get off the chariot.

"Well... We were thinking about getting sponsors to win...?" I trail off as he gives me his best death glare.

"Did you see how the careers looked at you?"

"Yeah. So what's wrong with that? They wouldn't see us like a weak pup anymore," Lucas speaks up.

"That's my point! They are seeing you as an enemy now! They will kill you as soon as possible because of all the sponsors you will be getting and also because the first few days are when they are the strongest."

I try to complain, but Linden's explanation does make sense.

"From now on, Johanna will act as a shy girl from the lumber district, and Lucas will act like an innocent guy who doesn't want to kill anyone. Understood?"

We both nod.

"Good. Lucas, can I talk to you for a minute? Johanna, you can head back to your room and take a nap or something."

I nod, and walk over to the elevator, leaving the two guys-and a girl. Yeah, she was too busy admiring Linden's body- by themselves with Trey. When I reach there, my heart almost jumps out of its place. Green eyes are staring into mine. Finnick, leaning against the doors starts clapping slowly but loudly.

"Bravo. That will be the most memorable parade in the centuries."

I smile weakly, pressing the up button.

"Aren't you supposed to be focusing on your own tributes?"

"Nope. Derek is too weak to win, and Della's too unattractive."

Swollowing, I say nothing, waiting for the elevator doors to open.

"You might want to step forward. The doors will open any second," I warn him.

"Oh, is that the only reason you want me to move closer to you?" He asks smirking, but steps away anyways.

Just when I open my mouth to reply, the doors open and Finnick says first, "See you later, Hanny."

"Yeah, bye," I reply, being distracted by the way his body moves. Wait, what did he call me again? Ugh. Whatever. I'll correct him later on.


	5. Canoum

**Chapter 5**

"Johanna, Johanna. Did you hate the dress?" Patch asks me with frown on his face.

Um... Why else would I throw them away?

But I need to be a nice girl like Linden said.

"No. Not at all. It just seemed like Della was getting all the attention so I thought I would do something special. I loved the dress. Don't worry."

Patch actually seems to believe it and relax.

"Well, good! Because I was thinking about using the same dress for the interview."

Uh oh.

"Um... Patch? Don't you think people would be kind of... Bored? I mean, I think they would want some change, you know. And it's not like we don't have much time. So...?"

"Hmm... I don't know, Johanna. I'll have to think about it... I'll let you know if I change my mind."

Oh well, who needs a pretty dress to survive? I can do this by myself.

"So, Johanna," Linden says, walking toward me. "You're having training session tomorrow. I'll give you some tips at dinner later. Did you take a nap like I told you to?"

"No. I couldn't sleep."

"Then why don't you go and rest? Watch TV with Lucas. I bet they are replaying the parade."

That sounds like a good idea.

...

I turn on the TV, and just like Linden said, I can see the parade right away.

Della is dressed in a dark blue fabric with fish net wrapping around it. It's not beautiful or stuff, but it sure shows her curves in the right place well. Her black hair hangs low over her waist, and she looks good. Really good. I don't know why Finnick thinks she's unattractive. My heart beats faster at the thought of him.

Just when the camera is showing Rhine, the pretty girl from six, Linden comes in.

"What's her name?" He asks me.

"Rhine," I remember her name from earlier when the TV screen showed me he tributes' names.

She has an odd pair of eyes. One is blue while the other is brown.

"She has funny eyes," Linden says.

"I know."

"Interesting..."

When the camera is pointed to Renesmee, I have to say, I feel bad for the kid. She is dressed up as a _cow_ with her fiery hair hidden inside a stupid hat. She is biting her lips, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, wow. She must be really embarrassed," Lucas says, and I nod in agreement.

"It's time for dinner! Hurry to the dining room," Trey yells, not even bothering to enter the room.

...

I only eat fish and some vegetables because I don't like trying new food.

"Why don't you try the lamb stew, Johanna?" Lucas suggests.

"Lamb stew? Eww! How can you eat lambs?"

"They're good. What I _don't_ understand is, how do you eat raw fish? They're disgusting."

I drop the raw fish I had my teeth sunk in, and it lands perfectly on my plate.

"Eww! Manners, Johanna!" Marcie fusses over it, but I ignore her.

"Excuse me? How can you call a fish disgusting when you're eating a furry animal?"

"Come on, what about the scales on fish? Hmm? And how did you try fish when you didn't even live in District 4?"

"It's not like we just eat trees just because we lived in seven. My friend's dad was a fisherman so I got to try them."

"Okay, how about this. Johanna, you might have to eat lambs if that's the only food you can get in the arena. Lucas, if the arena is a giant lake, you might have to eat raw fish. So as your mentor, I suggest that you should try them at least once," Linden interrupts.

"You want me to try raw fish? No thanks," Lucas says hurriedly.

"Scared, huh?"

"I'm not scared. I'm just worried that you would freak out."

"That's very likely," I say sarcastically.

"Yes, it is. On the count of three, one, two, three!" Lucas suddenly yells out, so I grab a piece of lamb fast, and shove it in my mouth.

It actually tastes ok... Just until the pictures of lambs are popping into my head. Lambs... Poor little creatures... In my mouth...

Just concentrate on chewing Johanna. But the frown never escapes my face, and I can hear Marcie giggling at my side.

Then, my teeth sink into something soft. Don't think... Don't think!

Too late. I feel some of the meat I swollowed before coming up my throat again. So... I decide to turn around to avoid throwing up on our dinner. So instead, I let it land on something else. Correction. _Someone._ Marcie screeches on the top of her lungs.

I know I shouldn't, but I burst into laughter. Really loud one. And Lucas soon follows me. Both of us have a hell of laughter even when Marcie, with a mysterious substance dripping from her hair glares at us.

When we're finally calmed down, Marcie speaks in a dangerously low voice.

"Are you happy now, b*tch?"

Wait, what did she just call me?

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Lucas speaks up for me.

"What? I always new that she's jealous of me, but I never knew that rude b*tch would go that far."

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous of _you_?" I say, scoffing.

"Because I'm so much better than you. I'm prettier-"

"Oh, please. Did you see your face in the mirror this morning? Or do you even notice the brown thing dripping over your face?"

Her face is now bright red.

"Oh, I totally didn't notice that. I wonder who did that?" She says sarcastically.

"Oh, that's awful. Someone should have told you, don't you think? Hey! The dude with brown hair!" I say, pointing my finger at a random Avox. "Tell our dear Marcie that her face is covered with puke. Oh, and don't forget to tell her that I'm the one who did it."

"Ever heard of sarcasm? And he can't talk, stupid."

"Ever heard of countermoves? And wow, I'm impressed. I didn't think you could figure out that he can't talk with that tiny pea brain of yours." With that, everyone bursts into laughter, even Linden.

"You... You..." She says, fuming.

"Oh, you just proved my point. I mean, I thought we all learned English at school?"

That's it. She snaps open, and throws herself at me. But she doesn't make it to me because she trips over one of the legs of my chair and falls straight into the table. And her head gets dipped into a cream cake.

"Ah!" She screams, and I can see Lucas trying to stifle his laugh, but not succeeding, which makes me laugh harder.

Then, a sudden knock on the door brings everyone to silence.

"Hello? Can I come in?" Wait a minute. I know that voice.

"Oh, yes! Yes! Come in," Linden shouts, and Marcie gives him the WHAT THE HELL look with cream all over her hair and her face-and don't forget about the puke-which makes him shrug.

The door opens and Finnick comes in.

"Hello everyone," He says smoothly.

"Hey, Finnick. How did you get in?" Linden asks.

"Oh, it was easy. I knocked down the door."

Linden arches one of his eyebrows.

"Oh, fine. The door was open. So I decided that you wanted me to come in. I mean after all, who wouldn't want to hang out with the hottest guy?"

"And what were you doing in front of our door, checking if it was open?" Lucas asks.

"Oh, you know. I just heard a scream like a pig's, so I thought you guys were watching that TV show. The one where this pig is jumping up and down screaming its butt off."

"That sounds about like a TV show you would watch," Linden says with a smile on his lips. "Come on, have a sit."

So Finnick comes over to the table and sits beside Marcie who's giggling nervously.

"Hi, and who would you be...?" Finnick asks, and I smile, playing back what he said about remembering names.

"Oh, I'm Marcie. Marcie Millar," she replies with that flutter-your-eyelids thing.

"Hmm... So you must have your own style of eating cakes?"

With that, Lucas bursts into laughter.

"Huh? Oh no, that's just one of my... Um... This isn't cake. It's some sort of cream that makes your skin look better."

"Oh, So that's why your skin is always so pretty."

Gag gag gag... What? I'm not jealous!

"It must have an _amazing_ effect... What's its name?"

Now she looks really really troubled.

"It's... Ca... No... Um..."

"Canoum? That's an interesting name," Finnick cuts her off, looking amused.

"If you want it... I can take you to a mall, and buy it for you," she says, smiling nervously.

Okay, wait. Did she just as him out on a date? In front of me, Lucas, Linden, and Trey? This girls seems to have no fears. I mean, isn't it positive that he would reject her?

"Sure. I'm sure one of my friends would love it."

Or not.


	6. Why so serious? Asks Finnick

**Chapter 6**

I can't believe he actually said yes. But then again, this is Finnick I'm talking about.

"By the way, what's that weird looking shape formed on the cake?" Finnick suddenly asks, gathering everyone's glance to the cake.

"Oh, our Johanna here has no manner at all," Marcie says hurriedly and Finnick bursts into laughter, making my face turn into a tomato.

"Wow, isn't that wierd. You, having white cream all over your face and m, perfectly clean while I'm the one who dumped my head into a cake and screamed like a pig in a TV show," I retort.

"But then again, that cream is _definitely_ not from the cake," Finnick says. Now I'm really confused. Does he believe that slut or not?

"Hey, do you guys know what happened last night?" Marcie suddenly asks. I open my mouth to say something smart ass about changing subject, but Linden mouths _be nice_ to me, so I let her continue.

"Johanna fell down on her face in the bathroom. Told me she slipped. I should probably teach her about being carefull, don't you think?" Excuse me? You're the one who pushed me hard, and I still did not fall down.

"After all, steadiness is pretty important in the games. Not that I blame her. I figured that most girls from seven are not really carefull, which is why I am the only female victor from seven and always be the only one."

What did she just say?

"Excuse me?" Lucas hisses.

"Oops. Silly me. Of coures Johanna has a chance to win. After all, her bitchiness would save her life,"

Okay, that's it. Screw Linden and his strategies.

I launch myself onto her, tackling her to the ground. Look who's fallen on the ground now?

"I'm sorry, but care to repeat your last sentence?"

"Johanna..." Linden says in a dangerously low voice, but I ignore him.

"Johanna! Calm down! I meant female dog of course," Marcie says, remaining her calmness and laughing slightly. "We all know how smart dogs are. Especially females."

"You're right. Actually, I think I'll be calling you b*tch since you are so smart and clearly not offended by the word," I say calmly, but still gripping her shoulders tightly.

"That's enough, Johanna," Linden says, dragging me off Marice.

"Great! Of course you're here helping her! Tell me, Linden. Are you genuinely doing this for my angle or do you just want her body to be in perfection when you have her in your bed?"

Then, something I didn't expected happens. Finnick laughs. Really hard.

"Oh wow, Linden. Is that true? Actually, now that I think about it, that does sound like a possible reason. What do you say, Linden?"

"Finnick. Outside. Now," Linden hisses, but Finnick doesn't lose his playfulness even when his heading out.

"Johanna, go to your room and cool off a bit. Lucas, I don't give a crap about you. Marcie, you're coming with me."

"Oh, of course she's coming with you! Have fun with her!" I yell, choking back my hysteric laugh.

"I'm not screwing her Johanna! Don't say anything that just pops into your mind!" He yells back for the first time.

"You know, I thought you were different. I thought you were the most decent victor. I thought you won't be fooled by that slut. Guess I was wrong. Try not to gasp her name too much while I'm trying to cool off in the room right next to yours," I say, then I leave to punch some pillows.

...

Oh, what's wrong with me. I yelled at Linden for nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. I swear I heard him gasp her name last night. Gross. But still, I bet he was trying to help me to survive. right? Right? Ugh. I hate everyone. Marcie, Linden, Trey...

Then, someone knocks on my door.

"If you're Trey, get lost. If you're Linden, leave before I give you a black eye. If you're Marcie, which is not possible, screw you!"

"And if it's Lucas, come in?"

"Yes, you can come in," I say, sighing, and the door creaks open, revealing a black haired boy behind it.

"Hey. Are you feeling any better?" He asks with his usual gentle voice, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"To be honest, I don't think that's possible before the game ends. Actually, even after that, considering I'd be dead by then."

"Wait, are you saying you don't think you're gonna win?"

"Let's face it, I'm just a hopeless girl like she said."

"First off, I don't give a crap about what she says. Secondly, I think you're the bravest girl I've ever met."

"Thanks, Lucas. You're the best you know."

"Oh, I always am."

"Okay, maybe not always," I say, grinning, and he follows me.

"But even if I win," I say after a bit of silence, "I don't think it will be better. Maybe even worse."

"What an ironic situation, huh? You don't wanna die, but you don't want to live either," he says, his voice almost a whisper. "But Johanna. You have to promise me that you will try. For your family. If not that, for me."

"But why for you? It means you're gonna... Die."

"I... This might sound wierd because it hasn't been long since we've met, but I actually care about you. And I don't-"

"Johanna? Are you in there?" Linden's voice.

I don't answer.

"If you are, you might want to go to sleep because tomorrow, you have training session."

I listen to his footsteps fade away.

"Why does he even care?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"Johanna. You have to know that he does want you to win."

"He slept with her," I blurt out.

"I'm not that surprised," He says.

"What do you mean?" Does he think that she's attractive too?

"Every victors have their own way to blow away their stress. Someone drinks, someone takes drugs, and Linden... Uses Marcie."

"I didn't see him as that kind of guy."

"Okay. Enough of serious crap. Did you see how Marcie looked like when she was fluttering her eyelids which had cake cream all over? And Trey was just like _what's this soup made of?"_

"Yeah and the look on her face when I puked on her," I say, giggling.

"And how she thought Finnick was totally into her while he was laughing at her."

"I'm not totally sure about that," I say bitterly. "He agreed to go out on a date with her."

"Wait a minute. Can that be jealous I hear?"

"Shut up, Lucas!"

"So I'm right? Johanna Mason crushing over the Odair?"

But there's something wrong. I can see a wierd emotion in his eyes that I can't read.

"No, you're wrong. By the way, he's too old for my taste."

"Well, good thing that I'm only an year older than you. Congratulations, Ms. Mason. You can have Lucas Parker as your boyfriend."

"You have a weird style of asking girls out," I say, laughing hard.

"Trust me, you'll be all over me very soon."

"Ha. Like that would ever happen."

"Okay, little girl. I believe it's your bed time now," he says, standing up, ready to leave.

"Wait, Lucas. Don't leave. Stay with me. I think I'll be having nightmares tonight."

"See? My charm is already working on you," he says, chuckling, but lies down on my bed anyway.

He turns off the light and takes his shirt off. Not wanting to br caught staring, I turn around.

"Good night," I whisper.

"You too. Dreaming of me will help a lot."

"Oh yeah, very likely," My sarcasm is the last thing I think about before falling asleep.


	7. I'm Not Cut Out For This

**Chapter** **7**

I wake up, studying the white ceiling of my bedroom. A few of my memories from yesterday comes into my mind. The fight, Finnick, Linden, Marcie. Lucas. Did he leave? I roll to my riht and hear a scrunch of a piece of paper. I hoist myself on the elbows and find a note.

 _Hey, you were sleeping like the Sleeping Beauty so I decided to wait till the prince kisses you._

 _Lucas_

Smiling, I get out of the bed, and strip to take a shower. After showering, I meet Linden, Marcie, and Trey at the living room, still awkward from yesterday's fight.

"Hello Johanna. Beauty sleep doesn't seem to work on you, so why did you bother?" Marcie says rudely as always.

"Oh, to me, it seems like it's working," Lucas says, walking toward us from the dining room. I'm not blushing. I'm not blushing. I'm not blushing. When he's close enough, ne mouths _who was the prince?_ and I roll my eyes.

"Guess I'm too used to myself," Marcie mutters quietly, but I know that we were supposed to hear it.

"Weird... Wouldn't you think she's beautiful if you are used to yourself?" Okay, now I'm blushing.

"Okay guys. Let's not make Johanna blush anymore," Linden says, chuckling. "Johanna, can I have a few words with you?" Umm.. Let me think. _No._

"Maybe later," Lucas says. "She will be late for training. I'm sorry, I ate earlier. I can't help my appetite, I guess. You hungry?"

"No. I don't wanna be late."

"Alright, then. You guys can head to the training room. We'll catch up with you later. Have a few things to discuss," Marcie says.

"Okay," Lucas says, grabbing my hand and turning to leave.

"Wait, before you go, I need to give you some tips about the training. I wanted to do that yesterday, but... Anyway, first off, don't let them know what your specialties are," Linden says.

"Wow. Always teaching me something," I say, keeping my face firm.

"I'm serious. And Johanna, please don't cause a fight with other tributes, okay?"

"I'll try my best."

"Meaning, she will fight with someone," Marcie interrupts.

"Whatever you think b*tch," I say, using her new nickname and dodging her death glare, "see you later everybody!"

So we walk to the elevator in silence, me feeling uncomfortable with our linked hands. Heck, we shared bed last night! What is your problem, Johanna?

...

They are good. Really good. And I'm not just talking about the careers here. Even Renesmee is showing off a few talents. Figures that she's good at climbing and really fast.

While everyone's training so hard, I'm just watching them, not knowing what to do.

"Scared?" A voice makes me jump.

"No," I have to remember that he's the District 4's mentor. Never trust him.

"You should be. Unless you have some kind of super power underneath that small body of yours."

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be having meetings with people?"

"I find that kind of things very boring... While I find _you_ very interesting... Especially since yesterday's drama," and that's my cue to blush. "Also, you looked very pathetic, just standing here and doing nothing."

"I'm not pathetic. It's just... Linden told me to stay away from my specialties," I say in my defense.

"Oh, and what would your precious specialties be?"

"I'm... I'm strong," I confess. Wait what? What's wrong with me?

"Oh please, see that guys over there? They're called _careers_. You know who they are?"

"Of course I know who they are. I'm not stupid."

"If then, you'll know that they've been training for years. Try comparing your strength to theirs."

Silence.

"You can stop biting your lip, by the way."

I stop instantly.

"Come here, let me show you some knot skills," he says, draggin me toward the knot station.

"Wait, are you even allowed to train other tributes?"

"Oh, don't worry. Most of the trainers here are female," he reply, winking at me.

The knots are difficult. When I keep fumbling with the knots, he sighs and hugs me from behind. What? Why? My heart beats fast at the thought of his chest against my back. Oh, wait. He's just reaching toward the knot and helping me. Hey! I'm not disappointed, okay?

"You are definitely not cut out for this, Hanny."

"My name's Johanna."

"And...? Your point is...?"

"Don't call me Hanny."

"Why not?"

"I don't like it."

"Another reason for me to keep the nickname, Hanny," he says, sending warm breath to my back.

"Ugh," I grunt, concentrating-but not successfully-on the knot.

"Seriously? Are you trying your best? Cause if so, don't go for snares in the games. You might just strangle yourself," he says in exasperation after a few minutes of more fumbling.

"That's because you're not giving me the easy ones."

"This is the simplest one!"

"Okay, got it. Never use ropes."

"Hey, Johanna. Finnick."

A familiar male voice comes out from behind me.

"Lucas," Finnick says, unwrapping his arms around me.

"I see you're spending some bonding time together."

"Driving me crazy as always," I say, trying a smile.

"Anything you learned about each other?" He asks, giving Finnick a pointed look. I think that he thinks Finnick's here to spy on us.

"She's horrible with knots."

"He's the most annoying guy I've ever met," and he gives me butterflies in the stomach.

Then, I realize I'm starving.

"Hey, Lucas... When's the lunch hour?" I ask.

But instead of answering, he tosses me a muffin and I almost miss it in surprise. I give him a confused look.

"I knew you would be hungry," Lucas answers my unspoken question.

"Oh! You're the best!" I yell in joy, making Lucas smile.

"I thought we already had this talk yesterday."

"You must know a lot about her," Finnick says, slightly interested.

"I know more than what she's bad at," he answers, keeping his voice straight.

"I'm starting to think that you don't like me which is very unusual."

"You're not exactly a pleasant company to keep," Lucas says without hesitating, shocking me with his honesty. He was always so nice. I guess not to everyone...

"Well, I need to go anyway, so... Yeah. Bye Hanny. And Lucas."

Then he starts walking away.

"Hanny?" Lucas asks me, arching his eyebrows, amd I just shrug.

"You wanna try the camouflage?" He asks, trying to change subject.

"Sure. But let me finish this lovely muffin first."

"Huh, I wonder who brought it for you. I'm sure he wants to have a piece but too shy to say a word."

Laughing, I tear a piece and hand it to Lucas.

"Oh thanks! You didn't have to, but..."

And he munches the piece, making me laugh.

Guess I can feel better for a few minutes...

 **Okay, that was chapter 7.**

 **I'm really sorry if I wrote anything with past tense. I'm just reading a new book, and you know... I'm really confused. Anyway, don't get confused!**


	8. Ouch

**Chapter 8**

 _District 7 Johanna Mason_

A female voice echoes in the training room. Swollowing my saliva, I walk into the training center. I'm going to get a low mark so I won't attract any attention, which wouldn't be too hard since I am weak. I don't need any sponsors. All I need is the careers staying away from me.

When I walk in, the Gamemakers are very busy. Busy with eating, talking, drinking, yelling, laughing, and everything except paying attention to me.

Do I really have to perform when they aren't watching? I don't find a reason why I should. They probably wouldn't remember what I did.

So I just sit down, humming a melody I know. No one pays any attention, so I continue doing that. I hum bunch of songs, starting to find it enjoyable.

"Johanna Mason, you may leave now," one of the gamemakers finally say. Funny, considering they don't even know what I did.

"Thank you for dismissing me. That was very boring, don't you think? Oh wait, you had all that food and drinks, and friends. I guess it wasn't that boring to you."

Wait a minute. This is actually a good chance. Like, really. Do I find any stupid capitol citizens here? No. Can this event be revealed to other tributes? No. Which means... I don't have to act like a little scared girl.

"You know, for one second, why don't you imagine your young kids being sent to the games you made, huh? Oh wait, scratch that. You don't care about others. Imagine you, being in our situation. I bet you'll still be drinking and laughing, right?"

"Miss Mason, you are _dismissed_."

"Mr. Gamemaker, you will _not_ be dismissed from me ever. You will pay for this. I swear you will," and with that, I leave the room.

...

"Johanna Mason, 5."

Oh, so they actually gave me five? They either knew my plans, or just wanted to pretend that they actually paid attention to my performance.

"Good job. Not too bad, but not too good," Linden compliments me, but the awkwardness remains, so I don't reply.

Lucas got a six, which is perfect too.

"Okay, now you guys, go to sleep. We have interviews tomorrow," Trey says, shooing us into our room.

"You look worried," Lucas tells me on our way to our own rooms.

"Of course I am. Patch told me that I'm going to be wearing the same dress for tomorrow."

"Should I be expecting for you to be stripping again?" He asks, chuckling.

"Probably... But you better do it with me," I say, laughing with him. Who knew someone could laugh, knowing you're going to die in a few days?

"Hey, if you want me naked, all you have to do is ask."

"Now that I think about it again, no thanks."

"Whatever. Goodnight, Johanna."

"You too."

...

I can't fall asleep. Tomorrow is the interview day, and I don't know what to do. I should probably stick with Linden's strategy, but I don't want to. But then again, is saying what I want to, worth risking my own life?

What I need right now is fresh air. I walk outside to the roof, but when I'm just inhaling the cold night air, someone pushes me forward.

Gasping, I fall on the hard floor, my attacker on me. Streetlight, people, cars, lights coming from apartments... I'm at the edge Of the roof, ready to plummet down to the earth. But thankfully or not, the person on me has both hands around my wrist, pinning them to the ground.

"What... What the hell?"

"This isn't exactly nice way to introduce me, so I'll save that for later?" It's a male.

"What do you want?" I ask, wriggling beneath him.

"A lot of things. But I should say winning the game tops the list."

He's gonna kill me.

"You don't want to do this. There will be a surveillance camera somewhere."

I'm sure of that. There are cameras everywhere.

"Sorry to break the news, but there's no camera on the roof."

"I'll scream," I say, but my voice is full of fear.

"Oh, don't worry, Johanna. As much as I want to throw you off the roof, I'm not going to kill you. I'm saving that for during the game. I was just wondering, how many sponsors will you get from the interview, if you are all beaten up while none of the other tributes bear any injuries? And I always love finding the answer. I'm a very eager man."

"I can see that. But why me? I'm the weakest tribute! Heck, I scored five!"

"Oh, Johanna. Not everyone's fooled by your small act. Of course, I know you're not good with weapons. But I saw how you looked at the president. You never give up. And that's something important in the arena."

And with that, he rolls me over so I'm facing him. In the dark, I can barely make out his silver hair and black eyes. Jonathan Morgenstern from two.

"Should I break your nose first, or start with your arms?"

"I'm going to scream right now."

Someone will hear me.

"You do that, and the Parker boy will be next."

I gulp. Not Lucas. Who was always there for me.

"I made up my mind. Face first."

Then he raises his left fist, and I turn my face to the side, the fist landing on my cheek. The pain is unexplainable. The fire erupts on my face, making me gasp in pain. But I can't scream. For Lucas. The pain doesn't fade. It actually feels like it's worsening.

I grab Jonathan's shoulder with my freed right hand, trying to roll him off me. But he's too strong. He pushes me further to the edge, my head now dangling in the air. In panic, I swing my fist, but failing to hit him. He grabs my wrist, and speaks in low voice, "I can kill you right now. So stay still."

Finnick was right. They _are_ stronger than me. And they always will be.

"Okay, enough of something-that-sounds-like-threat crap. Get off her."

Wait, who said that? Finnick?

"What? How?" Jonathan mumbles, his grip on my wrist loosening.

"Do you want me to pick you up, or can you stand up on your own?"

He scrambles up, my body relaxing in the contact of the air.

"Go back to your room. Oh, wait. This won't hurt much. Just forms a nasty bruise."

And before he can reply, he punches Jonathan's jaw.

"Ow!"

"Don't be such a baby. That wasn't meant to hurt you. Now shoo before I report this!"

After he leaves, Finnick looks at me.

"You okay?"

"Yes. And I don't need your help."

"Sadly, I don't think that's true. You need to be able to fight in the arena."

"I realize that."

"Meet me after lunch tomorrow at the training room."

And with that, he leaves.

This gotta be a trick. But then again, I can't imagine Finnick tricking me. I know, I shouldn't trust a mentor from another district, but he's too... Easy to be close to.

Okay. Enough of thinking. I go back to my room, picking up a damp towel on my way there. I gently press it to my cheeking, yelping in pain. Good thing that Finnick punched him in the jaw. Now everyone will think that it was me who did that.

When the pain continues, I know for certain that my cheeks are gonna be colorful tomorrow at the interview. Unless Patch paints it in brown again.

It's hard to fall asleep when your cheek is on fire, but I do anyway. Until someone wakes me up by shaking my shoulders.

"What is your problem, Lucas?" I growl, hopin he would catch the annoyance in my voice.

"I'm sorry. It just seemed like you were having a nightmare, so I..."

"Well I wasn't so let me sleep," I say, rubbing my eyes and accidentally touching my cheek. "Ow!"

"What's wrong?" Lucas asks, his voice alarmed.

"Ugh. Nothing."

Then he touches my cheek.

"Ouch! Stop!"

"Okay. Who, when, and why?"

"His name is Jonathan. It happened after you went to sleep. And he wanted me to look beaten up for tomorrow's interview," I answer, sighing.

"You're impossible."

"No, my name's Johanna."

"Wait here. I'll get you an ice pack."

"I don't need an-" but he walks out to the kitchen anyway.

"So... Can I ask you something?" He asks, returning with an ice pack.

"Shoot."

"Did you punch him at least once?"

"No."

Looking disappointed, he kneels down beside my bed and slowly presses the pack onto my cheek, making me sigh.

"But Finnick did," I say quietly.

"Finnick? What was he doing there?"

"He saved me, and punched him in the jaw."

"So he wouldn't feel much pain but have a nasty bruise. Wicked."

"Yeah. But don't tell anyone that he was the one to punch Jonathan."

"I thought you wanted to act weak?"

"Nope. That was Linden's idea."

"I think you should stick to his plan."

I squint at him.

"Jonathan already attacked you. What tribute will ignore someone who managed to punch a career?"

"But that's not me. I'm not shy or timid. I'm not nice or gentle. I want to be myself. I don't want to be someone else when I die."

"Okay, you want to irritate the Capitol? How's this. You say something that will provoke it, but something the citizens of Capitol won't understand and take it as something sweet."

"Like what?"

"Hey, you're the smart one. I know you're good at improvisation."

"Huh, maybe I will."

There's a moment of silence.

"I should have been there."

"Huh?"

" _I_ should have been there, not Odair."

And I laugh.

"What's so funny?"

" _You_. It's not like you're my guardian or something. You don't have to save me everytime. By the way, we just met."

He shrugs, looking at my cheek.

"Okay, stop. You're making me uncomfortable."

"Alright. Go to sleep now."

I nod, closing my eyes, but Lucas doesn't leave. Maybe he's gonna stay until I'm asleep.

"By the way, you _are_ shy, timid, nice, and gentle. You're just hiding all that under your tough attitude."

Maybe he's right. I _was_ that kind of a girl before the reaping anyways.


	9. Hanging Out With Ceasar Flickerman

**Chapter 9**

When I wake up, I find Lucas sleeping soundlessly beside me, only his head on the bed and the rest of the body on the ground. Trying my best not to wake him up, I slip out of the bed. I go to the bathroom, take a shower, and meet Linden and Marcie at the dining room.

"Where's Trey?"

"Asleep," Linden tells me, sipping a bit of his coffee, "What happened to your cheek?"

"She got into a fight with Jonathan from two," Lucas replies, entering the room.

"You did what?" I can sense Linden's anger and concern in his voice.

"Nice timing, Lucas. Really," I say, glaring at him.

"You know better then getting into a fight with a career, Johanna," Linden says, sighhing.

"It wasn't a fight. He attacked me."

"And you jabbed him in the jaw."

"Is that true, Johanna?" Linden looks really surprised, and I just shrug.

"Okay. Enough of Johanna crap. If you'll excuse me now, I believe I have a date to prepare for. See you later."

"I thought you were meeting him at lunch?" Linden reminds her.

Lunch. Finnick and me. Training room. Of course he was just kidding. He'll choose that slut over me.

"Yes, but I have to prepare for it, brainless."

And with that, she walks out.

"Huh. Shouldn't she be helping us with the interview?" I ask.

"Let her be. We don't need her. Linden...?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Just act nice. You love the Capitol. You love the audience. You love talking to Ceasar."

"But we don't," I complain, making him sigh.

"What do you think of the Capitol, Johanna?"

"I absolutely completely solemnly love it," I reply in exasperation, rolling my eyes.

...

I look at the clock. 12:30. I just finished my lunch. And I was thinking about being with Finnick... Sighing, I decide to go to the roof. I doubt Sebastian or any other careers would try to hurt me anymore. I sit on the edge, slightly scared but wanting to be brave.

"Hey," someone says, making me almost lose my balance and fall.

"Oh my god! You almost killed me," I say, turning around to see who almost murdered me, "Finnick?"

"That's my name. And there's a force field. You won't fall down."

"I thought.. I thought you were wih Marcie?"

"Why would I be with her?"

"Because you promised her."

"When did I do that?" He says. I thought he was joking at first, but now I can see that he's genuinely confused.

"When we were having dinner together. He cream, remember?"

Then he bursts into laughter.

"She was serious about that? I thought she was kidding!"

"I bet she's now waiting in the cold and dark," I say, holding back my smile.

"Hey, speaking of which, you didn't come."

"Huh?"

"You promised you would meet me at the training room."

"I didn't. I never said yes."

"Then say yes!"

"Why would I?"

After a bit of silence, he arches his eyebrow.

"Fine."

"Ha! I knew it. You can't resist my charm."

Rolling my eyes, I walk with him to the training room.

"Okay. So what do you want to learn first?" He asks me when we're there.

"I don't think we should be doing this," I say.

"Why not?"

"What if you're just a spy and trying to know my skills?"

"A, you don't have a skill. B, do I look like a spy to you? Just choose what you wanna learn."

"We're not even allowed to come in here except for those three days."

"Like I said before. A lot of female workers."

"Huh."

"Now for the third time, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO LEARN?"

"Okay. I should probably get used to weapons."

"I don't know."

"Why?"

"We don't have much time."

"Can I just try it?"

"Okay. You said you're strong, right? Try those axes."

...

"Oh my god. You are natural, Hanny. You are amazing. No one can learn this fast."

After hours of practicing, I'm pretty good.

"I guess I'm okay."

"No you're not. You are awesome. Just perfect. Come on, it's time for the interview. Oh, by the way, I love your dress. Can't wait untill I see you in it."

After he leaves, I think about his words. He likes the tree outfit? Wierd.

...

"Oh, Johanna! You'll never believe what just happened. District Four sent you a dress. I think it's okay. You can wear it to the interview if you want to," Patch says.

Why would four send me a dress? Then I look behind Patch. It's not okay. It's amazing. It's light shimmery green, and has a bunch of small peices of silk that are supposed to be leaves, cascading down from the waist part, gradually growing bigger. There are small roses made of rubies attached to it that shines brightly.

"It's great. I'll wear it," I say as calmly as possible, not wanting to hurt my stylist's feeling.

"Huh. Are you sure? I mean I think the original one is slightly better."

"Like I said before. We need some changes."

"Anything else?"

"Oh, can I put on my own makeup?"

...

"You look good," Lucas compliments as I walk out of my room.

I've put on my dress and done the makeup myself and trust me, sadly, I'm better at this then my prep team.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Frankly, he is gorgeous. But I wouldn't have to tell him that. He's wearing his suit sent by four too. No brown paint or bamboo stick shorts.

After a few minutes, we're in the waiting area, watching other tributes. Soon, my name is called.

"Remember what I told you about the interview," Lucas whispers as I stand up.

Smiling as friendly as possible, I walk slowly toward the seat beside Ceasar.

"Hello, Johanna. How are you doing this evening?" He asks, lively as always.

"I'm good. But I have to say, it is quite hot in here," I reply, trying to sound nice.

"Oh, it is indeed. And I dare to say, you and that dress is probably adding the hotness in the air. Tell me, Johanna. Exactly how talented is your stylist?"

"Hmm... I don't know. You know how Capitol people's styles can be. They are so creative, they can have a lot of way to express the same topic, _trees_."

Ha. Hope you heard that, Patch. Too bad he won't understand it.

"You are so right, Johanna. They are creative."

"Creative enough to create the Hunger Games. People fighting each other to the death. Now how _entertaining_ is that? People dying. Even twelve years old, adding to the _excitement_."

"Yes, very exciting. Now back to the dress, should we be expecting you to strip again? I bet that parade made everyone go crazy."

"I'm usually good at making people go crazy. I think I inherited that from my mom," the crowd bursts into laughter.

"Oh, I bet every moms are the same. Would she strip like you did if she was in the parade?"

"I don't know. I would ask her if I would have a chance to before I go out and kill people."

"Now what about the food? Did you enjoy it?"

"I sure did. You know, I heard that people in District 12 sometimes eat lumber scraps. But here in Captiol, I'm eating bunch of different meat, vegetables, cakes. Wow, I wonder how Capitol people would adapt if they're sent to twelve."

"Does Lucas enjoy them too?"

"He sure does."

"Okay. Speaking of your district mate, is it okay if I say that I feel some strange chemistry between you two?" The crowd starts screaming at this. Stupid.

"I'm sorry to let you down, but no. We're just friends."

"Ah. I bet many people would be disappointed at this."

"Oh definitely. While we're in the honorable place to kill, they would be upset that we're not dating."

Ceasar, not catching my sarcasm continues on.

"Now. Do you think you can win, Johanna?"

"Hmm, I don't think so. I'm too weak. I doubt I'll last for more than a day."

"I don't know, Johanna. Miracle always happens."

"I'm not sure. Though, I would really love to be crowned as a victor by killing other tributes. It would be such an honor."

"It sure would be. I wish I can have that kind of chance too."

"You mean you want to be in the games too?" I ask him, squinting my eyes.

But, taking this as a joke, he just laughs instead of answering. As I'm opening my mouth to ask him once again, there's a beep indicating that my time is over.

"Oh, I believe that's the end of our lovely interview. Ladies and gentlemen, Johanna Mason from District 7!"

...

"So tell me, Lucas. Is it true that there's nothing going on between you and Johanna?"

Lucas chuckles, and I find myself smiling too.

"Oh why, Ceasar? Do you have crush on her or something?"

"Maybe I do," he says, chuckling, "It's just hard to think that you don't have any crush."

"I never said I don't have a crush."

"So you do have one?" The crowd is going crazy, yelling 'say my name!'

"Yeah," what? Lucas? Chasing after a girl? I've never imagined that.

"Well, tell us about her," Ceasar says impatiently.

"She's pretty. Wait, no. She's not. But she certainly is beautiful."

"Well that rules out my wife. Fewth. That my have been awkward."

Lucas fake-laughes, continuing, "She's the bravest girl I've ever met. She's strong, but sensitive. But also annoying sometimes."

"Well that sounds like a perfect girl to me. I'm assuming you won't etell us her name?"

"I'm assuming she'll kill me if I do."

"I don't think every ladies in this room wants that. Oops. Your time is up. Ladies and gentlemen, Lucas Parker from District Seven!"

...

"So you and that girl, huh?" I say, playfully after the interviews.

"Why do I feel like you're jealous?" He retorts, grinning.

"I'm so not."

"You shouldn't be. If you don't mind, I'm gonna go watch now."

"Okay. I think I'll be at my room."

...

I put on my pajamas and lying down on the bed. It feels so good. I'm reaching for the cover when I hear a crackle of a paper. I find a note under my pillow, written casually.

 _Hope I can see you in the training room at 8pm, Hanny._

Guess I'll be training again.


	10. 143

**Chapter 10**

"That's good. You should go to bed now."

I've been training with Finnick for a couple of hours. Covered with sweat, I accept the water bottle Finnick hands me.

"Remember, when you're in the arena, look for an axe. That's your only chance. If you can't find it, then run away as soon as the game starts."

"And if there is one, go for it?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"I'll leave that to your own judgement. Come on. You should probably rest. Good luck."

"Wait. Is this our last chance to see each other?" I ask, eliciting a laugh from Finnick.

"Oh, Hanny. I know you're gonna miss me."

I glare at him, but I know I'm going to miss him. His intelligent eyes, bronze hair, tan skin, contagious smile...

"Will _you_ miss _me_?" I inquire, this time more seriously.

"Though I'll be seeing you everyday through the cameras, yes, I'll miss you. A lot."

With a sharp intake of the air, I hug him.

I inhale his sea like scent, trying to forget about the games tomorrow.

"I should probably go to my room. Bye."

"And may the odds be ever in your favor," he says playfully in that wierd Capitol accent.

"Is that the last thing you're going to say to me?"

"I love you. Even though we've met for only a few days."

My breath hitching, I say the words back.

...

Of course he meant it as friends. I'm lying on my bed, constantly sighing. Okay, enough of pining over him. Concentrate on the games.

I knock on Linden's door to ask him if it's likely to find an axe. When he doesn't answer, I open the door slightly. And I see him. But not just him. He's with someone else. A girl. Kissing. Eyes. Odd eyes. Rhine. Tribute.

Stumbling, I shut the door quickly, but it makes a loud noise in my shock.

"Johanna?"

"I'm... I'm sorry," I yell so he can hear me even with the door closed.

"Johanna, wait!"

He soon comes out of the room.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"So Marcie wasn't enough for you?"

"Marcie? Who's Marcie?" The poor girl asks.

"Johanna, please. It's nothing like that. She's not that kind of a girl. I think... I think I'm in love with her."

"Oh joy! So you're in love with a girl who'll be killing me soon."

"Johanna, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You shouldn't be sorry. Because you do anything you want to do."

"Look, I know that you fancy me, but-"

"Fancy you? What? I don't like you that way. I don't like you, period. Do you think that's the reason I'm mad at you?"

"Look."

"You want me to die in the games. Me and Lucas."

"No. I want her to win, but I don't want you to die."

"Don't see the difference. Tell me, if her and I am fighting, would you want me to win?"

"Johanna-"

"Be honest, Linden."

He doesn't answer, so I know what his answer is.

"I knew that."

And before he can say anything, I stomp back into my room.

I don't need him to survive. I don't need anyone.

...

Ten.

It's a ruined city.

Nine.

I can see it.

Eight.

It's mine.

Seven.

Della glares at a sword.

Six.

Lucas stares at me.

Five.

I stare back.

Four.

Rhine looks tired.

Three.

Sebastian looks confident.

Two.

I can do this.

One.

I'm going to win.

Bong.

I run as fast as I can toward the axe. Mine. Mine. Mine.

If I don't get it first, I have no hope at all in this game. Finnick taught me a little about knife throwning, but it figured I'm not good at it.

No one attacks me yet, probably because they believed my little act. I reach forward and grab the weapon. I run away from the cornucopia as soon as I have it in my grip tightly. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as my feet continuously hit the ground. Constantly looking back, I find the boy from nine chasing me with a sword. Without thinking, I throw the axe, and it strikes the boy's skull. Blood everywhere. Trying my best not to faint, I retrieve my now bloodied weapon, and sprint out of the clearing.

There are ruined cottages everywhere. I look behind me at the cornucopia and realize no one's paying attention to me. But I still run until they're out of my sight. A few dead trees and buildings are all I can see. I find a decent shelter in a half-broken house that covers me pretty well. I go underneath the shade provided by a remaining part of the roof. Catching my breath, I look at my axe. It's covered with fresh blood. Crying out loud involuntarily, I wipe it with a dead leaf from the ground. I killed a boy. He was probably thirteen or so. He should've been climbing trees, goofing out wih his friends, reading books, singing songs, riding bicycles, not being killed by an axe throuh his head.

Okay, stop. Keep it together. This is Hunger Games. He would've died sooner or later. I did him a favor. The careers would kill him painfully. What I need to do is to survive. But still, these thoughts don't stop my tears from flowing.

Enough! I yell at myself mentally. I take deep breath, trying to concentrate on the games. Lucas. I need to find him. Right now. Is he all right? He couldn't be dead, right? As soon as the last thought hit my brain, a canon booms, representing a tribute's death. Another boom. And another. I keep counting until it stops. 14 death. Could Lucas be one of those? Or Rhine? I wonder what Linden will be like if she's dead.

The wierd thing about this arena is that the temperature is mild. It's very unlikely because it will be no fun to people. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

When I am full of energy again, I continue to walk away from the cornucopia. The ground is mostly covered with sand for where I am right now. After hours of walking, I realize that I'm thirsty. I look at the sky, wondering if any parachutes will come down, but no. No parachutes.

Then, I hear a shrill scream. The careers must be somewhere near. Panicking, I quietly fast walk away from the sound. The shrieking continues until it is replaced by a boom of canon. Controlling my breath, I walk as fast as I can without making any noise. The landscape is now mostly rocky instead of sandy, but I still can't seem to find any hint of water. Sighing, I slow down fromspeed walk to my ordinary pace.

Soon, the sun is out of the sight. I choose a three floor building that is barely damaged as my shelter. I slowly walk up the stairs, and stay on the third floor. There are a few old furnitures like a small sofa and a table. I push some tables and an empty bookshelf against the door to prevent any intruders from coming in. Though I do know that careers will still manage to come inside, I want to be able to hear them. Then, I'll break the window and jump out.

I look around the room, searching for anything useful. So far, I've found a 30m nylon rope, a shaving mirror, and some crackers. Thinking that the rope will help me with my emergency escape, I tie it around the curtain pole tightly, using the knots I've learned from a certain boy.

When I finally have nothing to do, I draw the curtain, preventing anyone outside from seeing me, and lie down on the sofa.

A beam of moonlight comes in from a big hole on the roof, bothering my sleep. But it's not just the light. Thirst, hunger, and fear are other major factors. I am very tempted to eat the crackers, but I firmly tell myself not to.

I want Lucas to be here with me. Is he alright? I fall asleep, waiting for the anthemn to sound so I will know for sure.

 **Well, Linden and Rhine... I'm assuming some of the chemical garden trilogy fans might have been able to guess. I hope Johanna can find Lucas fast. Oh wait, that depends on me. Yay!**


	11. My Own Personal Rooftop Garden

**Chapter 11**

I wake with a start as the anthem echoes in the arena. The girl from one, both from three, boy from four, both from six, both from eight, boy from nine, both from ten, both from eleven, and both from twelve are dead. I guess no one else died since I've counted last time. Jonathan and Della are still alive unsurprisingly, and Lucas. Oh, Lucas, thank god. I wish I can find him soon.

I try to go back to sleep, but I can't. I'm too thirsty. I desperately need water. I silently pray that Linden would send me a bottle of water, but no, I don't hear the familiar sound of the parachutes.

Deciding I should at least get rid of my hunger, I eat more crackers. And I soon regret it. They make my thirst more unbearable. Just wait till morning. I'll find water.

...

I don't remember it, but I guess I fell asleep last night despite my thirst. I gather my stuff so I can leave soon. Since I don't have a backpack, I tie the nylon rope around my waist, and stuff my crackers inside my pocket. I rip the curtain, providing myself with a bit of the fabric and wrap it around the shaving mirror just in case since there is barely a shade outside. When I'm done, I carefully walk outside.

The sun is strong as I expected. Making sure the mirror is all covered, I walk further and further away from the cornucopia.

Soon, the landscape is changed into a grass field with debris scattered all over the place. But even when I'm scavenging everywhere for water, I find nothing. Not even an animal. And I realize something. Maybe, the only place where I can find supplies are the buildings. So that's when I focus on looking for houses that don't look like it's gonna collapse any minute. There are fewer houses as I walk away from the center of the arena. Of course. What was I expected. Then I find a decent house. It's ruined, but is actually pretty fancy. Carefully, I open up the door, gripping the axe tightly in my hand. When I'm sure that no one's in there, I walk into the room. I check every rooms, but I can't find anything that might be useful.

In the next house, I don't find any water, but I find a backpack and some food. Quite a lot of strips of beef jerky and fruits. Allowing myself to eat a little bit, I put everything in the backpack except for my axe and travel a little further. I find a small cottage that is actually in a good shape. I walk into a room which seems like a kitchen, and I find it. It's a big container. And there's water in it. Almost screaming in joy, I quickly unscrew the cap and scoop as much water as I can and quench my thirst. I've never felt so happy.

I decide to stay in this cottage, and block all the doorways from inside. I look around my new shelter more, and find a small pocketknife and a cup. Good. Now all I need is a bottle for water just in case I need to go somewhere else.

It's getting darker, so I lie down on a small armchair. Thankfully, this time, I fall asleep fast. Untill a familiar sound awakes me. A gift from sponsors. Smile forming on my lips, I find a thermos and a note.

 _Better hurry up._

 _Linden_.

Knowing what he means, I grab the thermos. The careers must be close. And proving me right, I hear a scream and a boom. Panicking, I carry the thermos into the kitchen. I quickly pour the water into the smaller container just as I'm hearing heavy, uncaring footsteps.

My heart is beating so fast, I feel like it's going to kill me before the careers. Maybe if I keep quiet, they'll go past me.

"Hey, Della! Check this thing out! Some cowards might be hiding in here."

Or not. I grip the thermos tightly, waiting for her to say no.

"Fine."

Uh oh. She tries opening the door, but the furnitures stop her. I hear laughter from outside.

"Someone definitely is in there."

And that is my cue to start thinking. The roof. My axe. The rope. I quickly get the rope out, and tie it around my axe. Then, I throw the axe in attempt to breaking the roof. It manages to make a tiny gap, but not enough for me to escape.

"Wonder what's going on in there," someone says, laughing.

"This will be fun."

I throw the axe one more time just as Jonathan bangs on the door with terrible force.

The hole is big enough now. I throw the axe for the last time, and it lands on the outer part of the roof with a satisfying clunk. And as fast as I can, I begin climbing. My hand hurts, but I don't care. When I finally reach the roof, I can hear the door shatters into pieces.

"Where is the kid?"

"You go look in the kitchen, and you the living room. You guard the door," Della orders.

I think about jumping off the roof and running, but knowing that they'll hear me and chase me doen, I just retrieve the rope and hope they'll never notice the hole that wasn't there before.

Then someone walks into the kitchen.

"Hey, Della? Did you see a hole on the roof when we first saw this place?"

Okay, the odds are definitely not in my favor.


	12. a New Alliance(Also a Bad One)

**Chapter 12**

Oh awesome, just awesome. Della comes into the room, staring at the giant hole.

"Scott! Outside, now!" She yells, "What do you see?"

I flatten my back against the roof, hoping he wouldn't see me. Too late.

"There's a girl! I think she's from seven!" He yells from the outside.

I look at him and know that he's Scott Parnell from District 4. I see his face with pleading eyes. _Please don't!_ I yell silently.

He looks back at me with apologetic face. But I know he's afraid. He doesn't want to be in the pack.

But that doesn't matter now. Because other careers are coming outside too.

"Ooh, look at her! Why don't you come down? It's much more comfortable down here!"

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," I reply.

"Too bad. You'll have to come down some day. I don't think you can get foods up there."

Does it look like I care? But I don't say that aloud. Act like I'm scared. So I let out a whimper, eliciting a laughter from the gang below me.

Soon, the careers ignore me, ordering each other around to build a campfire. I pull my axe out, and put my thermos and the rope in the backpack just in case. I can soon hear the crackling of the fire and laughter.

...

I wake up when I hear a career waking up others. Most of the careers are up, talking and laughing.

Only the girl from nine died last night.

"I'm tired of this. Scott, watch her and kill her if you can. The rest of us will go out and kill some tributes. When she dies, come back to cornucopia," Della says, packing her things and leading others to the cornucopia.

Only silence and awkwardness remains after that. Scott paces nervously with a sword in his hand. He's weak. I can tell right away. I can kill him right now, but I don't wanna do that.

"Hey, Scott!" I yell, and the boy's head snaps toward me, fear all over his face.

"What... What do you want?"

"I want to form an alliance."

"With who, me?"

I nod.

"You can't do that. I, I already am in an alliance."

"Yeah, but not what you want. Come on."

"Why would you want me as an ally?"

"You really do have a trust issue."

"But it still doesn't make any sense. I'm weak, you know."

"That's great. Because I'm really weak too."

He finally agrees to form an alliance.

I decide that jumping down is the only way, and stand at the edge.

You can do this. It's not that high, really.

"Wait, you're gonna jump?" Scott asks, clearly surprised.

"No other way."

"Wait, I have another sword with me."

Then he grabs a sword out of his backpack.

"Catch."

I catch the sword. I tie the rope around it, stick it on the roof, and climb down.

"We're gonna have to leave the rope."

"I know," he says, his voice tinted with worry.

"Come on, they won't find us," I assure him.

As we're walking, we get to know a little bit about each other.

He is sixteen, has an older brother who is nineteen. No one volunteered when he got reaped, so he ended up in here.

As we're walking, we hear a scream, soon followed by a loud boom of canon.

"Who do you think that was?" He asks me.

"Definitely not Jonathan or Della. So either one of from five."

"Or Lucas."

I gulp, he's scaring me. What if Lucas _is_ really dead?

"You scared?" He asks, arching his eyebrows.

"Duh. They're careers. With those weapons, they can kill us in a second," I say, remembering what Linden had told me.

"I'm not. By the way, I'm a career too, technically."

"You should be. They can take you down easily."

"At the parade, I thought you were this strong, independent girl that no one should mess with. Now, I can't really tell."

I can't tell either. When I was reaped, I was just this little weak girl. Now, I am burning with revenge. Wanting to make this right.

"Can you hunt?" He asks me.

"No."

"Can you fight?"

"No."

"Then what's that scary axe for?"

"It was the only thing close to me at the cornucopia." Or not. But there's no way I'm letting this boy know my specialty.

"So you ran? I fought because I was brave enough," He says smirking. So a career _is_ a career.

"Good to know."

"See? There's your feisty side again."

I shrug, continuing to walk in silence.

"Do you have any food?" I ask him.

"No," he admits.

"Do you?"

"No."

Okay, maybe I lied. But do you honestly think I would let this stranger know what I have right now?

"Too bad. I know how to hunt. You should gather some food."

"I don't know what kind of food is edible."

"What the heck were you doing during the training session? No wonder you got such a low score!" He exclaims, clearly exasperated.

"I tied knots."

"Very useful."

"Actually, I'm thankful that I did. It saved my life you know."

Knots remind me of Finnick. Which is not a very good thing to think about. I mean, he's good to think about, but I don't want to be pining over him in this arena.

"And please. You know that you're weak too."

"At least I fought with other careers. Not like someone I can mention."

"For your information, you're running away from them right now with me."

"I'm not. I'm gonna find them and kill them."

"Like you could. Also, we're not gonna go look for them."

"Of course. Well you can hide in your little secret hiding place while I go kill other tributes like a hero."

He's delusional. Definitely. I mean, what's going on in his brain right now? If he has one.

"Don't you want to kill them too?" He asks.

My boy, I would love to chop their head off with this axe now, but unfortunately, I have to act weak. So can you please stop acting like an insane kid?

"You're not answering my question."

"I would like them dead, but I don't think I can kill them."

The lie flows out of my mouth easily. I'm not surprised. Because I always lie. I'm lying by acting weak. And I already lied to him about the axe and the food.

"Well, _I_ can. And I'm going to be the victor."

Oh, how bad I want to tell this boy that I can kill him, like right now. In a swift motion just with my axe.

Control, Johanna. Think about what Linden would say. Oh, that disgusting Linden. I probably shouldn't say this, but to be honest, I actually felt nice when I saw Rhine's face on the list of dead tributes. You know, like revenge. He hurt me, and now, his heart will break.

"We need to find Lucas," I announce without thinking.

"What? Why would we need that weakling?"

Guess he's a better actor then me.

"Because you're a weakling and I'm a weakling. We would be a perfect trio."

"Yeah, right. The weakest trio. You know that you don't make any sense, right?"

"We're going to look for him anyway. If you don't want that, you can leave."

"Fine, fine. But can we sit down for a while? I'm tired."

I sigh, and let him rest in a shade. This is going to be a hard alliance.


	13. Listening to Footsteps

**Chapter 13**

I wake up with my axe clenched in my hand.

Scott, I remember. But I can't find him anywhere. His stuff is gone. Coward. He probably left me because he was afraid. Not that I need him.

But remembering Linden's words, I decide to give people a good show of looking afraid. I frantically act like I'm looking for him, and then stop after a while.

It's really hot now. There is no shade, just a bunch of debris scattered around. I can already feel my seat rolling down my forehead.

Then, I hear footsteps. I poise my weapon toward the sound which is coming behind a giant hill of debris. Swollowing, I try ro calm my beating heart, but relax when I see Lucas. He has a knife in his hand, looking tense and alert.

"Lucas!" I yell.

"Johanna?" He looks around for me and jog toward me.

"Hey. I was looking for you!" He says, smiling and looking relieved. "Any injuries?"

"No. I'm perfectly good. You?"

"Just dehydrated."

"I can fix that," I say, getting my thermos out of the backpack.

His eyes widen and drinks the water cautiously, worrying it would run out.

"Do you know who's left?" I ask him.

"The boy from one, Jonathan and the girl from two, Della, and both tributes from five."

So that means Scott's still alive.

"You wanna go look for some supplies?" He asks, nodding toward a small bundle of houses not too far away.

"Sure. Let's go."

We inspect every houses carefully when we get there.

When we're done, we have an extra knife and matches.

"I wish sponsors would send us some fan," Lucas mumbles.

It really is hot. And to make it worse, there's no wind.

"Maybe we should rest for a bit. Eat."

"Yasssssss. I'm starving," he says, and I take some food out, grinning.

Soon, we're finished stuffing ourselves-but tryin not to stuff too much-and we start talking.

"Do you think we can win?" He suddenly asks me.

"You know that _we_ can never win."

"Fine. So you think _you_ can win?"

"I don't think so. I'm too weak and scared. And they're so strong."

He looks into my eyes, and I know that he understands that I'm exaggerating. Too stifling. Not being able to say whatever I want to.

I rethink about the question in my mind. Can I win? I'm decent with my axe, but I can't be decent. I should excel.

"What about you?" I ask him.

But as he opens his mouth, we hear footsteps, running toward us. Our heads snap toward the sound. Both tributes from five are running toward us, the girl with a bow and the boy with a sword.

Their eyes are filled with determination, but also fear, and we start running away from them as fast as we can. I think I can fight off the girl, considering she only got five for her score, but I still need to act weak. And the boy got an eight.

Lucas is running beside me, his eyes filled with a lot of emotion. And then, I trip.

"Lucas!" I yell involuntarily, and he comes toward me to help. I shake my head, but he helps me get up. But too late... Our pursuers are right behind me, their weapons poised at us.

"We're not like careers... So we're going to kill you quickly. Don't worry," the girls say.

When I realize that she's about to shoot me, I roll on the ground to the side, the arrow missing my head by inches. Lucas takes his knife out and throws at the girl, and it hits her shoulder. Screaming in pain, she drops her bow. The boy, contemplating whether to run toward his district partner or attack us, chooses later. He swings his sword at Lucas, but thankfully, he misses. I realize that he's distracted by the girl. I can tell that she means a lot to him.

A thought hits my head. It's psychotic, I admit. But I pick up the girl's bow and hits her wound. She screams in agony, and the boy stops immediately. I know I should kill her. She has to die anyway if I want to win. But I can't be brave enough to do that. Whispering an apology, I hit her in the wound again, making her lose balance and fall.

But this time, Lucas is the one who looks horrified. Sensing something, I see the girl with one of her arrows in her hand. She tries stabbing me, but I grab her wrist, and twist it. The boy comes back to his sense, and rushes toward us. Knowing that I'm running out of time, I do what I never thought I would be able to.

Someone screams. Maybe it was the girl. Or the boy. Or maybe it was me. I see my sweat dropping down on her face which is frozen forever. The boy screams, pushes me away, and kneels beside her.

He's crying. I know that. And he's whispering something. Lucas and I just stand beside them awkwardly, not sure what to do. I know that the logically, I should kill him. But no, I'm not going to use my brain. Like I heard millions of time, I let my heart lead my body. And Lucas does the same. We silently walk away from the sobbing boy, listening to the sound of a cannon.

We don't say anything for long time. Not until another cannon rings across the arena.

"That must have been the boy. We made a lot of sound to attract the careers. We should run," Lucas is the first one to speak.

When we're running, we hear one more cannon. That means only Della, Jonathan, us, and one more are left. The heartless killers. But then, something hits my head. I killed the girl. Realizing this, I collapse on my knees. I killed her. I killed an young, innocent girl. And I don't know what to do.

 **Hi, so that was chapter 13.. Sorry I updated so late. I was traveling, and I could barely catch wi fi... Anyway, hope you enjoyed**.


	14. Would You Rather Die, Die, or Die?

**Chapter 14**

"Johanna? You okay?" Lucas asks me worriedly, but his words don't quite get to my ears.

My mind is all blank.

I killed her. I did it.

Oh, how many times I swore that I would never kill a single life when I'm in the games before the reaping. I thought it would be easy. I didn't know how my human instincts would be so hard to defy. I'm not that Johanna before reaping anymore. I've changed. And I'll change forever as long as the game continues.

Lucas kneels down beside me as a hovercraft flies above us to collect the bodies.

"Johanna, it's okay. You had to do it."

I don't say a thing, and a bead of my sweat traces my cheek. Or maybe it was my tear.

"I killed her."

"I know. And yes, it was wrong that she had to die."

Great. He blames me. Not that I don't deserve it. He must hate me now.

"But Johanna, over thousand of lives were take because of this game. They all died. And it wasn't the other tributes who killed them. It wasn't you. It was the game. And if you feel sorry, then win this. So that the girl didn't die in vain."

"I can't live. I don't deserve to-"

"Then who does? We all would have killed that girl if we were in your position without second thoughts. So let's hurry up before more careers are here."

My head spins. Would my mom understand me? My dad? Jace?

"Let's go."

So I continue running.

...

That night, I see Scott's and the girl and boy from five's face on the sky. Only three more. But then what? What about Lucas? What will I do? Am I going to kill him like I did with the girl. I shake the thought away.

It's really cold now. The temperature constantly changes wothout warning. I wrap my arms around my knees, shivering.

"I'll take first watch. Go to sleep," Lucas says, grabbing his knife.

"I'm starving. We should go look for food tomorrow. And more water."

"That would be the first thing to do."

...

Next morning, we scavenge some houses we've managed to find like we promised. Nothing. Probabably because we are too far away from the Cornucopia. The Gamemakers want us to get as close as possible to the center.

"How much food is left?" I ask.

"Three strips of beef jerkey."

And we only have a shaving mirror, two knives, and a small amount of water. I kind of regret using the rope for climbing down the house, and eating all the biscuits.

"You think Linden might be able to send us some food?"

I shrug. Maybe he's too busy grieving over his _love's_ death.

My lips are dry from dehydration, and I know that we won't last for long if we don't find more water.

"Let's drink up all the remaining water."

"But Johanna-"

"Screw whatever you're going to say. Give me the freaking thermos."

Lucas gives me a look that seems to say 'remember our plan'.

Oops.

"Sorry, it's just so hot."

But even after apologizing, I drink every last drop of the remaing water.

"We have no choice," I announce.

"What do you mean?"

"We need to get closer to the Cornucopia. I know it sounds crazy, but I'd rather die trying than die of dehydration or starvation."

Lucas thinks about this for a moment, then agrees.

So we start walking toward the opposite direction.

We're walking through a pile of debris minutes later, our feet sinking in every step. Then, suddenly, something grabs my ankle. I cry out, causing Lucas to turn to me. I fall down, and that something stands up. And it happens to be the girl from two. She's smirking evilly, probably thinking about many ways to kill me. She draws her sword, and swing it at my leg.

I gasp by the sudden attack and the pain. Lucas throws his knife, and it glazes her shoulder, but it's nothing fatal. She leaps on me, aiming her deadly weapon at my heart.

"One more stupid move boy, and she's dead," she hisses, smirking at Lucas.

He's frozen, eyes wide and the other knife still in his hand. My axe is fallen beside me, but the girl's hold on my both wrists is too hard, I can't reach out for it. Can't believe it. How can I not fight off a single hand with my both wrists?

"Let me see... So you were starving and dehydrated. You dared to get closer to us? Stupid move. Shame on you."

I'm terrified now. Is she going to kill me? Then Lucas? I regret deciding to come closer.

"Don't be so scared," the girl says, obviously sensing my fear, "I'm not gonna kill you... Yet. Let me see. Let you bleed to death? How about skinning you alive? What do you think, boy? Afraid she'll die?"

"Me? Oh please. I don't care if she dies," Lucas says coldly.

He doesn't mean it, he doesn't mean it, he doesn't mean it. I keep chanting in my mind. He has a plan. Trust him. He cares about you.

"Really? Too bad... I wanted some fun."

"Well, you can't have it," Lucas says coolly, starting to walk away.

He's going to come back. I know he will. Right? _Right_?

"You really don't care?" The girl shouts, trying her best to conceal her panic.

She doesn't want to let him go. But she doesn't want me to run away either. She stares at her sword. She can stab me now and go for Lucas, but I doubt she will do that.

Then she stabs me. But just lightly on my thigh.

"So you can't run," she says grinning, and goes after Lucas who just turned around.

Wow. She underestimated me. Big mistake. Just before she can reach Lucas, I grab my axe and fling it as accurately as I can toward the girl. She screams in pain, and collapses. A cannon goes off and Lucas runs toward me to check my injuries.

"Are they bad?"

"No," he replies, but I can't tell if he's lying or not.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Killing her?"

"For suggesting this."

"That's okay. I agreed anyway."

There's a few minutes of silence.

"Look, tonight, when Della and Jonathan sees the girl's face, they'll start fighting. Break the alliance. And people already saw you use that axe. So..."

Lucas looks at me knowingly, and I nod. He wants me to stop acting weak.

And that night, just like Lucas predicted, we hear a cannon.


	15. Last Blood

**Chapter 15**

So what's our plan?"

"How about slowly getting closer to the Cornucopia and then see how it goes?" Lucas suggests.

"Okay. You ready?"

"I'm good. You're the one who's hurt."

"I'm okay."

"I'm pretty sure you're gonna need some Capitol medicine," he says, looking at my wound once more.

"But Linden just might be too busy screwing Marcie. Or maybe he found another whore?"

We laugh, and talk for a few more minutes.

"Who do you think died last night?"

"Probably Jonathan. Della's more skilled than him though I can't be sure," I answer.

"Hey, remember when you beat the crap out of that guy?"

I did? God, Finnick's watching this, isn't he?

"Yeah. He's pretty weak."

"Or it's just that you're strong."

And just like that, we can hear beeps. We look up, and find a silver parachute descending slowly. So Linden finally decided to be helpful?

We quickly open the container and find Capitol medicine and a note.

 _Keep it up._

 _M_

"Here, I think it's for your wounds."

I let him treat my injuries, and wonder if Marcie isn't that bad as I thought. Nah, what am I thinking. Though, she is just a young girl who was forced to kill in such a tender age. I know that she has gone through hard time, and probably is still suffering. Not that I'm gonna get along with her from now on.

...

Next morning, I'm doing much better, so we decide to get closer to the Cornucopia for supplies. After walking through hills of debris, we finally find a decent building. It has two floors, small but pretty steady. We find a twenty meters of rope, a little bit of water and a can of soup. We share the little amount of supplies we have, and since we were too starving and thirsty, we finish them in a second.

We keep on searching for water and food, but we can't find anymore.

"It's the Gamemakers. They want us to go to Cornucopia," Lucas says, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Then we need to get there."

"You and I both know that there will be Della."

"I can distract her while you get the supplies.

"It's too risky."

"We're going to die soon with them. We're both fast and smart. We can do this," without waiting for his answer, I hand him the shaving mirror I was keeping. "Here, flash this when you're done and meet me here. Let's go!"

He reluctantly follows me, with shaving mirror in his hand, being careful not to let the sunlight get to it yet.

Soon, we're a few minutes away from the Cornucopia.

"Go, Lucas!"

He runs toward the cornucopia, and I start walking. To the opposite direction. After a while, I scream his name.

"Lucas! Help! Help!"

I know that Della heard me when I hear faint footsteps. I quickly start climbing the house beside me with the rope I've attached to it before, trying not to panic. I quickly hide the rope and wait until I see her. She's down there, confused, wondering where I am. Then, she and I both see a flash of light from distant. Realizing that she was fooled, she screams and starts running back to her supplies. Then, she stops. She turns back, looking right at the house. I press my stomach onto the roof, hoping she didn't see me. I hear some noise, and BAM! There's a sword right beside me. And there's a rope tied to it. Della is coming up.

Panicking, I think about ways to escape. I can't risk to jump. If I do that, Della would chase me, and I know that she's faster than me, and my injured leg wouldn't help. If I throw my axe, the odds are, she's gonna dodge it, and I'm going to be weaponless.

Then, I hear a scream and a thump. What happened? I look down, and I see Della flat on the ground. The rope is severed. And a knife. Lucas.

"Johanna?" He's several feet away from us, but close enough.

Della screams, frustrated, and grabs the knife from the ground and poise it toward Lucas. Screaming involuntarily, I pull the axe out and fling it toward her. As I aimed, the axe kills her. I sigh in relief, then remember about Lucas.

"Lucas?"

"I'm okay. I dodged it."

I climb down quickly, and check on Lucas. He was right. The knife only glazed his stomach.

"Hold still," I say, getting the medicine out of my backpack.

"Johanna," he says softly.

"Hmm?"

Then, he grabs my shoulder, and I think he's going to attack me. But instead, he leans toward me and gently presses his lips against mine. At first, I try pushing away. But he holds me still, his lips still on mine. Is Finnick watching this? But who cares? I have to admit, I'm enjoying this. I might not love him that way, but it's me or him. What's wrong with having fun before dying? I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him deeper. His hands slid down to my waist, pulling me closer. We stay like that until he removes one hand. I expect him to touch my hair or something, but he doesn't. Sensing something, I pull away.

A knife.

Blood.

Lucas.

"Lucas...?" I whisper, shock covering most of my voice.

"Lucas?" I say, this time more clearly.

"Kiss me," he whispers softly.

"Lucas! What-"

And he collapses.

"Lucas?"

"Kiss me."

And I do. Even after I hear a cannon.

I feel tears on my lips, not sure whether it's his or mine. I keep kissing him, telling myself that he's still alive.

He's smiling right now, kissing me back. His hands slid up my back, and I grin against his lips. The Capitol people are awing, but we continue. We're happy, and we don't care about the games. They announce that we're going to have two victors this year.

But he's still. Instead of announcing the change of rules, they send hovercrafts. He doesn't respond, and his hands are on the ground, cold. The realization hits me hard. He's gone.

 **Darn... He died. I really really wanted to save him, but I know that there's supposed to be one victor and I'm trying to stick to the book. Maybe I'll write a chapter in his pov of a past few events like meeting Johanna and stuff... I really liked him. (He's one of my favorite characters in shadow falls...)**


	16. Lucas and Johanna

**The Lover's Story**

 **I**

It wasn't at the Reaping when I first met Johanna Mason. It was during the parade. Yes, that was when I met the true Johanna. The strong, confident, and rebellious Johanna. But she still had the innocent Johanna too even in the games. She just tried to hide it. But it made her perfect. Strong and sensitive. Brave. Beautiful.

 **II**

I don't know when I started to love her. I know she caught my interest during the parade. That was when I started to think of her more than just as a district partner. I realized that I love her when I kissed her. When I didn't want to die, but killed myself. I do regret it. But I don't regret killing myself. I regret doing it so fast. Maybe just a few more seconds. I was too afraid. That she would do the same thing before I did. Guess she didn't think of me that way.

 **III**

I knew that she likes him. I hoped she wouldn't. It was stupid. It was Finnick Odair. I hoped she wouldn't fall for him like other stupid girls. Everytime she looked at him, I saw it. It was the same emotion I saw in my eyes everytime I looked in the mirror, thinking about her. Adoration. But did she love him? I don't know. But I do know that she would never love him as much as I love her. And he would never love her as much as I do.

 **IV**

I know that she did it out of rush of emotion. But sometimes, I want to believe that she did it because she felt the same way toward me. I remember her lips. So soft and delicate. And love driving me crazy. I never wanted to love anyone. But that's when I realized, as much as it hurts me, loving her is something I'd want to do forever, and I would never want to love anyone else. I still love her, and I'll never stop. Even if I didn't die and loved someone else, I'd still be loving her.

 **Chapter 16**

"Muffin?" He asks me, handing it to me. We are sitting under a tree in a forest.

"Sure, thanks," I say. "I was starving."

We share the muffin for a while.

"Do you enjoy being a victor?" He asks me, staring at the sky.

"Well, I got money, jewels, and fans. I got everything I need. Except..." I blurr the rest, hesitating.

"Except, what?"

"It feels wrong. Like I'm missing something," I tell him honestly. It's so easy to talk to him. No need to pretend ot lie.

"What are you missing?" He asks, this time looking into my eyes.

"I don't know. But it's painful. It tears me apart from the inside," I reply, wincing unconsciously.

"Don't forget, Johanna," he murmers, staring at the sky again.

"What are you talking about?"

"Finish your muffin."

As I do as he says, an awkward silence passes between us. He feels so distant suddenly. Not like the boy I know so well. Not like the boy I used to joke around and laugh with.

"Are you still starving?" He asks me.

"No."

I study his face and notice that something's wrong.

"Is something wrong?" I ask him.

"No. I just wanted you to know."

"Know what?"

"That I love you."

I've never heard him say that to me before, but somehow, his words don't surprise me.

"I-"

"You can't forget, Johanna. Promise me!" He says urgently, grabbing my shoulder.

"I promise, I won't!" I reply, slightly scared, even though I have no idea what he means.

"You forgot," he says.

"What did I forget? Tell me. What is it?"

"Me. You forgot about me."

"No. I remember you."

Another silence passes. I wait, not daring to make a sound until he finally speaks again.

"Then why am I still here?" He asks quietly, his eyes now on a gigantic pile of debris.

Wait what? Debris? I'm so sure that we were in a forest just a minute ago.

But he doesn't look surprised at all. He just stares at his hands. Covered with blood. A scream escapes through my mouth as the blue eyed boy dissolves into nothing in front of my eyes.

"Johanna! Johanna?" A familiar voice wakes me up.

I search for black hair, but instead, I find auburn one.

"Finnick?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

His voice soon calms me down.

"Thanks."

"As if this was the first time," he says, trying to smirk.

"You don't always have to be like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Just don't try to be so cocky all the time."

"I thought you liked my cockiness."

I roll my eyes, not daring to admit that I actually do.

I lie down on the bed again.

"Did I wake all of the tributes?"

"No. I just came by to check on you, but you were mumbling and screaming his name. You still dream about him, don't you?"

"Forever."

"You know, we might actually have a winner this time. Not just a survivor. A winner. Maybe even more than one. Maybe all of us," he speaks in a low voice.

"By helping her?"

"She's strong."

"I know," I say. "I'm tired of this. All this fake life-"

"I understand. And she will too. Heck, she is engaged. But since the last game, it's different. We can all see it," he tells me quietly. "Hope."


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Bad things, they told me. Bad things happened.

All I remember is a boy with bronze hair. I don't remember his face though. Just his soft hair. Heck, I'm not even sure if he has bronze one sometimes. Because sometimes, I see pitch black.

They told me that I erased all my memories. Because they were so painful and traumatic. So I really don't want to remember.

I don't know when I lost all the memories or even how old I am right now. Probably about seventy, considering my physical shape.

Am I happy? I don't know. The government provides me with food and safety, saying that I helped establishing a better world. But, I don't think I can say that I'm happy. I don't have any family or any happy memories, and I'm alcoholic and drug addict. I attempted suicide, but failed. It's a stifling life.

I'm now rummaging through the box that the the government sent me, full of my stuff. I wasn't really known for keeping stuffs, but I did find an axe, a small piece if rope, and a notebook. I stare at the axe, wondering if I can remember something. Both relieved and disappointed, I don't get any flashbacks like people in old movies. Then, i open the notebook. Only the first page has something written down. It surely must be mine. I never liked writing. I put my glasses and start reading, slightly afraid of what I'd find.

 _Dear, Johanna. I'm starting to forget. They say I don't have much time. I'm afraid. Of forgeting him. He should be remembered, and I want to have him in my heart forever. I don't know when you'll be reading this, but please try to remember him. His sea green eyes always used to make my stomach flutter. His soft, bronze hair always made me want to touch it. His voice, small gestures, laughter, even his footsteps made me want to always protect him. He was always there for me and made me laugh. He's the reason I'm still alive and writing this. He was my first love. I don't know if he ever loved me in that way. I want to know if I made him feel the way I felt everytime we look into each other's eyes. But you know what? I will never know. Because he's gone. He left. And it hurts. Much more than I went to his wedding. Much more than when I heard she's pregnant. It kills me. And sometimes, I think that I am already dead. My heart's dead. Because now, I understand what they mean when they say their heart is broken. Mine is too. He took an important piece of it that I can't live without when he left. But Johanna, please don't cry like I'm doing now. Because I know that he's in peace even though I'm still down here, everyday slowly and painfully dying. I hope I can see him soon._

Finnick. Finnick Odair. That's him. The boy with bronze hair. The axe... The rope... The mutts... How I cried when they killed him. Now I remember my past. Even though myself of the past told me not to, my vision blurrs because of the tears. I weep not just for him, but for everyone. For Lucas. The boy with black hair. The boy who helped me through everything. The boy who is so strong, yet so weak when it comes to certain things. Like me.

Then, I see him. The face I've missed so much. His smile so familiar and contagious. I haven't met him for decades, but it still feels like I've met him yesterday.

"Hey, Johanna," his soft voice seems to make me young.

"Are you... alive?"

"No. But I'm here for real."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"I came to ask you something. It's okay to say no, but... Will you come with me?"

I look at his hands grabbing mine. I look at his chest. No wound or blood stain. My mom once told me that when you die, you can be in whatever shape you will to be in. Without any hestitation or fear, I close my eyes and will myself to change to the Johanna Mason, the tribute of the 74th Hunger Games. Who first met him. Who was intrigued by his eyes. Who talked and laughed with him. Who kissed him.

"I'll take that as a yes," he says, smiling and studying my new shape. "Good to see you again."

"You're the best," I whisper, burying myself in his embrace, and like that, we're young again.

"Deja vu?"

"Shut up."

"Really? I thought you loved me," he says, faking a frown.

"I do, Lucas. I really do."

 **Ya, that was it.**

 **Sorry that I updated late... My mom took my laptop away from me, so yeah.**

 **I was totally going for Johanna and Finnick when I started writing this, but as I kept writing it, I just started to like Lucas, and thought, hey, Lucas and Johanna are pretty awesome together. So yeah. It happened. And Finnick already has Annie... Wait, Lucas has Kylie though... Okay, whatever. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading!**


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